1 Samuel 16:1-13—God gives light to see
character—Samuel anoints David to succeed Saul as king. Here is a story of a
shepherd boy who is made a king. Because God was sorry he ever chose Saul to be
the first king of Israel, he instructed Samuel to secretly anoint a successor
to Saul. He is sent to the home of Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint a replacement
for Saul. Which one of the eight sons of Jesse did God want as king? All seven
sons were interviewed but none satisfied God’s choice. The youngest, David, was
in the fields caring for his father’s sheep. Samuel ordered him brought to him.
Seeing the handsome youth, Samuel at once recognized him as God’s choice,
anointed him king, and then departed. The Spirit that enlightened Samuel now
rested mightily upon David.
One of the primary messages of this story is that God is (yet
again) providing for the welfare of the people, just as God had previously
provided deliverance from Pharaoh; manna water, and the law in the wilderness;
a land during the settlement; and guidance and leadership during the period of
the judges.1 At the start of 1 Samuel 16, God says to Samuel: “I have provided
for myself a king among [Jesse’s] sons.” The Hebrew word that is translated
here as “provided” literally means “to see” (h) r); as in English, Hebrew uses
“to see”–“I have seen to it”–idiomatically with the sense of “to provide.”2
This Hebrew term provides the key to this story. It signals that God has “seen”
the people’s need even before they are aware of it. As God had done in the
past, God was again venturing out ahead of the people, authoring the scroll of
their story before it had yet been unrolled.
God’s guidance is usually not as discernable in the moment as it
is in hindsight. We may not sense what God is doing in our midst or how God is
leading us. Even the great prophet Samuel did not know what God was doing. This
story, with so much of the Old Testament, affirms that God’s “providence”
operates beyond the spectrum in which our sight operates, but even so we remain
within God’s view. Note also that God’s eye here is on the flock and not just
the individual sparrow. In our age we tend to individualize so many of the
messages of the Bible. Here, it is important to note that it is the community
of faith that is under God’s care. Neither Saul nor David’s older brothers
might have understood the way in which God was providing for Israel as a good
way, but God’s eyes were on the people as a whole and not merely the
individuals.[2]
Collect for
Lent 4: Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are
new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment, You receive us as
Your children, and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we
may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your
benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son,
our Lord, who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. [3]
[2][2] https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/fourth-sunday-in-lent/commentary-on-1-samuel-161-13-2
[3] Collect for Lent 4, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. St. Louis
[4] Collect for Wednesday of the week of Lent 3, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. III © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
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